‘A massacre is not a state secret’: Protests in Burma against jailing of journalists

A group of Myanmar protesters rally in Yangon on September 16, 2018 in support of two Myanmar journalists who were sentenced to jail for seven years under the Official Secrets Act. Several dozen people rallied in central Yangon on September 16 against the jailing of two Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, lamenting the shrinking space for free expression in Myanmar despite the advent of civilian rule. Source: Sai Aung Main/AFP

PROTESTERS took to the streets in Yangon, Burma (Myanmar) on Sunday to fight for press freedom and demand the release of two jailed Reuters journalists, amid a growing concern for censorship and freedom of expression in the fledgling democracy.

“A massacre is not a state secret,” read one banner held by one of the dozens of protestors. It references an investigation the journalists, Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone, were working on before they were arrested in December that uncovered mass killing of the Rohingya minority.

Two weeks ago, the two journalists were sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act after they were allegedly found in possession of confidential government documents.

The crowds gathered at Maha Bandula Park in downtown Yangon on Sunday afternoon. They carried black balloons with the faces of the two journalists on them. They were released into the sky as part of the protest.

The group of activists and journalists called for a right to information as concerns grow that the nascent democracy is reverting to the restricted tactics used by the former military junta prior to democratic elections in 2015.

De facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was once regarded as the defender of free expression and democratic rule, but has come under fire in recent months for her failure to speak out in the face of injustice.

On Thursday, while at the World Economic Forum, Suu Kyi defended the jailing of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

The Nobel Laureate insisted their imprisonment was justified and that the case had “nothing to do with freedom of expression”, claiming they “were not jailed for being journalists” but for breaking the law.

The incident has since been proven and the military has taken responsibility.

The journalists’ defence team argued they were the victim of a police setup as a result of their journalistic work. Police Captain Moe Yan Naing even admitted to being party to the setup in court, saying he was directed by Police Brigadier General Tin Ko Ko, who led the internal probe.

The pair are expected to appeal the conviction but the process could take months, if not years.